Mali: Popular Singer Escaped From Radisson Blu Hotel

By Rotimi Akinola, November 20, 2015. Static Net.

Sekouba Bambino: ‘After 20 or 30 minutes, I realised these are not just petty criminals.’ Photo: Filed.

A popular singer from Guinea has managed to escape from the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali where terrorists have taken about 170 people hostage.

The terrorists took control of the hotel in capital Bamako around 7:00 a.m. on Friday. Malians who reside near the popular Radisson Blu hotel said gunshots rend the air as the terrorists ‘shoot their way in.’

Three people were killed in the process; two of them Malian hotel guards. The other person is French, reports say.

Sekouba ‘Bambino’ is the stage name of Sekouba Diabaté,

Popular Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino spoke to reporters outside the hotel he ran for dear life after realising the gunmen were no mere armed robbers. His words:

After 20 or 30 minutes, I realised these are not just petty criminals. It was that early realisation that promoted his escape from the suspected terrorists who were moving from floor to floor, taking hotel guests and staffs captive….

About 140 other guests were not so lucky as the terrorists now hold them hostage in the hotel’s basement which Radisson Blu staffs say is ‘hard to access.’

At least 30 hotel staffs are also being held taking the number of the captives to 170.

Malian security forces have stormed the scene to attempt overpowering the terrorists and rescuing the hostages alive. The gunmen, numbering about 10, are believed to be from the Macina Liberation Front (MLF) who are believed to hold allegiance to Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, in turn, is believed to be loyal to Islamic State (or ISIS) which claimed responsibility for last Friday’s deadly attacks across Paris, the French capital.